The present invention generally relates to motor mounts, and more particularly to a pivotable mount for a motor that is adapted to drive an endless belt at a predetermined tension.
The use of motors for driving an endless belt is commonly known in the art. This type of arrangement can be found in many different applications, for example, in treadmills, automobiles, etc. Typically, a pulley is attached to an end of a motor drive shaft. The belt is looped around the pulley and drives a load that is operatively engaged with the belt in the belt loop. The belt is set at a predetermined tension to drive or transfer rotational force of the pulley to the load. For applications requiring a large driving force from the motor, the belt must be at a substantially high tension. For motors used in treadmills, for example, the belt tension must be approximately 250 lbs. Setting the belt at this tension requires a substantial amount of force. This presents a problem particularly in conventional foot mounted motors. The force applied to the pulley by the belt during assembly causes the motor to twist in its foot mount, thus making assembly difficult.
Accordingly, it is a primary objective of the present invention to provide an improved motor mount.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved motor mount which facilitates easy tensioning of a drive belt during assembly.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide such an improved motor mount which pivots to adjust the tension on the drive belt.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide such an improved motor mount which includes a tensioning device for setting the belt at a predetermined tension.